In my line of work, I get to review a wide variety of earbuds, but every so often, I need a reminder of why Indian brands continue to dominate the True Wireless Stereo (TWS) segment. Last year, India saw a 34 per cent year-over-year increase in TWS market shipments, with over 89 per cent of domestic shipment volume coming from homegrown brands such as Mivi. The increasing adoption of these devices is driven by the wide range of options that are available to consumers coupled with the ease of use and affordable prices of such devices.
Temporarily switching out my Apple AirPods Pro with the Mivi SuperPods Opera served as that timely reminder of how far Indian brands have come in the TWS segment. The unit I reviewed was the AI-Environmental Noise Cancellation (AI-ENC) variant that is available at a retail price of Rs 1,799. Though, you can get the Opera earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) tech if you are willing to spring more (Rs 2,499) for it.
The Mivi SuperPods Opera buds comes with multi-device connectivity. (Image: Karan Mahadik/The Indian Express)
Here is my review of the Mivi SuperPods Opera after a solid one month of using it almost every day at the gym, on the Delhi metro, and everywhere in between.
Design and fit
With the charging case of the SuperPods Opera, I was able to momentarily wave goodbye to the unspoken but real struggle of endlessly fishing in my bag for my earbuds. A lot of that has to do with the glossy, burnished case that could easily double as an emergency compact mirror to anyone who wants to ensure their make-up is in place.
The Opera buds is covered under one year of warranty. (Image: Karan Mahadik/The Indian Express)
The review unit sent to me by Mivi came in Arctic Blue, and the box also contained a USB-C charging cable as well as four silicon gel tips. Now, Mivi recommends that in order to detach the earbuds from the magnetic charging dock, you need to push your thumb laterally against the buds. But I found that it is easier to naturally pick them up by the stems.
The lightweight earbuds fit snugly in my ears and are comfortable by design. Mivi claims that they are “sweat proof” and while I had no way of testing that out amid Delhi’s winter, the buds remained firmly in place and did not need any fidgeting whenever I hopped onto the treadmill.
Calls can be answered with a single touch. (Image: Karan Mahadik/The Indian Express)
I felt slightly less confident about the egg-shaped case with its row of battery indicator lights, as it wasn’t the most comfortable to carry in my pocket.
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Audio profile
The feature that kept bringing me back to the SuperPods Opera is its Spatial Audio setting with a bass boost that left my earlobes quivering. It is one of the reasons why bass-heavy pieces like Dark Red by Steve Lacy and Borderline by Tame Impala made it to my Spotify Wrapped this year.
I’d recommend turning Spatial Audio on during Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin. (Image: Karan Mahadik/The Indian Express)
Without Spatial Audio enabled, the Opera buds is still capable of delivering a tuned audio signature as it has been designed with Lossless Digital Audio Codec and 3D Sound Stage. However, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t feel something amiss when listening to Prince’s searing electric guitar solo during his legendary performance at the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. At maximum volume, people near me also confirmed that there was a faint sound leakage issue.
Other than that, the sound profile of the Opera buds is also perfect for watching movies and listening to podcasts. These voice-based customisations are available on the Mivi app where you can also change the touch settings and use the ‘Find your buds’ feature that causes the Opera buds to give off a shrill, weird tune.
The cover of Bad Guy by The Interrupters was incredible to hear with the bass boost. (Image: Karan Mahadik/The Indian Express)
In terms of battery life, a full-tank case can be used uninterrupted for three to four days with a single charge lasting for around 7-8 hours of playtime. The Opera buds is also a perfectly acceptable TWS device for answering calls on the go and giving voice commands to Siri or Google as it works on the latest version of Bluetooth (v5.4).
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Should you buy the Mivi SuperPods Opera?
If you love bass boost, this is definitely the earbuds for you – even without active noise cancellation. It also guarantees an immersive experience if you like listening to podcasts. Besides the thumps and boom-claps, you would also be paying for a uniquely designed case that makes it a perfect and affordable Christmas gift.
